Navalny's death 'a consequence of Putin and his thugs', says Biden

Alexei Navalny appears via a video link from the Arctic penal colony where he died (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

World leaders and Russian opposition activists wasted no time on Friday in blaming the reported death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny on President Vladimir Putin and his government.

US President Joe Biden said Washington does not know exactly what happened, “but there is no doubt that the death of Navalny was a consequence of something Putin and his thugs did”.